Monsanto’s popular glyphosate-based weed killer, Roundup, may cause cancer—at least in California—where a federal judge denied the multinational seed and chemical corporation’s bid to overturn a 2015 state ruling to label it as a cancer risk.

Under the temporary ruling Monsanto will be required to label Roundup in accordance the state’s cancer warning, best known as Prop 65, making it the first state to require the label warning on the best-selling herbicide.

Monsanto sued California is an effort to reverse the decision, pointing to what it says in an illegal move by California, having based its decision on warnings made by the French-based health organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, instead of on U.S. research.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers glyphosate safe when used correctly, with few limitations on its use, citing it as a “low toxicity” chemical. Monsanto says that the Prop 65 label requirements in California, the nation’s largest agricultural state, would have severe financial repercussions for the company.

“It will absolutely be used in ways that will harm Monsanto,” Monsanto attorney Trenton Norris told the Los Angeles Times.

Monsanto’s Roundup is the best-selling weed killer in the world; it’s used on 250 crops just in California. But it’s also a poster-product for the anti-GMO movement, as major genetically modified crops including cotton, soy, corn, canola, alfalfa, and sugar beets, heavily rely on glyphosate. Those crop seeds, also made by Monsanto, often bear the name “Roundup Ready” as they’re designed to withstand excessive applications of the herbicide without causing harm to the plant.

But weeds targeted by glyphosate have begun to develop resistance to Roundup, forcing farmers to use more frequent and heavier doses of the chemical. Monsanto and other agrochemical companies have also begun pairing glyphosate with other, often more aggressive chemicals, such as dicamba or 2,4-D, in order to combat the resistant weeds, dubbed “superweeds.”

And research continues to bring into question the safety of human exposure to glyphosate—both via application exposure, and residual levels found in food and drinks. The International Agency for Research on Cancer made the assessment that glyphosate earned classification as a “probable” human carcinogen because of its link to numerous cases of cancer. The chemical is also considered an endocrine disruptor, which can lead to serious health issues including metabolic disorders, weight gain, type-2 diabetes, and other serious illnesses.

Fresno County Superior Court Judge Kristi Kapetan is expected to issue a formal decision on the case in the very near future. If the ruling is upheld, Monsanto would have one year to add the warning label to Roundup products sold in the state.

]]>Breakfast with Monsanto: Glyphosate Found in Nearly Half of Breakfast Foods, Study Findshttp://www.organicauthority.com/Glyphosate-Nearly-Half-of-Breakfast-Foods
Fri, 22 Apr 2016 07:00:05 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/?p=44965Food safety tests released by the Alliance for Natural Health-USA show the presence of glyphosate, the most widely used industrial weed killer best known as Monsanto’s Roundup, in 46 percent of popular breakfast foods tested. 24 breakfast food samples were tested by an independent laboratory, and 11 tested positive for the chemical, including oatmeal, bagels, eggs, […]

Food safety tests released by the Alliance for Natural Health-USA show the presence of glyphosate, the most widely used industrial weed killer best known as Monsanto’s Roundup, in 46 percent of popular breakfast foods tested.

24 breakfast food samples were tested by an independent laboratory, and 11 tested positive for the chemical, including oatmeal, bagels, eggs, potatoes, and non-GMO soy coffee creamer. Surprisingly, some of the highest levels of the chemical were found in organic products, such as organic, cage-free eggs and organic bread.

“We decided to do this testing to see just how ubiquitous this toxin has become in our environment. We expected that trace amounts would show up in foods containing large amounts of corn and soy,” Gretchen DuBeau, executive and legal director of ANH-USA, said in a statement. “However, we were unprepared for just how invasive this poison has been to our entire food chain.”

While glyphosate is often sprayed on corn and soy genetically designed to withstand the chemical, its presence in eggs and dairy points to the possibility that glyphosate is building up in the tissue of animals who eat the sprayed crops.

“The fact that it is showing up in foods like eggs and coffee creamer, which don’t directly contact the herbicide, shows that it’s being passed on by animals who ingest it in their feed,” says DuBeau. “This is contrary to everything that regulators and industry scientists have been telling the public.”

This may also point to the same problem for humans who consume it in their food.

This new data will likely increase the urgency with which the FDA begins testing for the industrial weed killer in foods, an initiative announced in February.

While most of the products’ glyphosate contents were lower than what U.S. regulators consider allowable, what is considered safe in the U.S. is higher than what is allowed in other nations, particularly the EU, Carey Gillam, research director for U.S. Right to Know reports.

Last year, glyphosate was added the International Agency for Research on Cancer list of foods that are “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organization.

]]>Monsanto Pays $80 Million Fine to SEC for Shady Profit Reportinghttp://www.organicauthority.com/monsanto-pays-80-million-fine-to-sec-for-shady-profit-reporting/
Thu, 11 Feb 2016 12:00:19 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/?p=41308Monsanto has agreed to pay $80 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission in penalties over misstated earnings on Roundup, its best-selling herbicide most often used in tandem with its controversial genetically engineered crops. According to the SEC, the St. Louis-based agrichemical company failed to “properly track millions of dollars in rebates it offered to Roundup […]

Monsanto has agreed to pay $80 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission in penalties over misstated earnings on Roundup, its best-selling herbicide most often used in tandem with its controversial genetically engineered crops.

According to the SEC, the St. Louis-based agrichemical company failed to “properly track millions of dollars in rebates it offered to Roundup retailers and distributors,” reports the New York Times. “The rebates were part of a promotion that Monsanto ran after sales of a generic version of the product undercut its business in 2009.”

While the rebates helped Monsanto increase its reach and sales during the three-year promotion that ran from 2009 through 2011, the company appears to have not properly recorded the profits. According to the SEC, Monsanto didn’t recognize “related costs” to the promotion, which interfered with its profit reporting.

“Corporations must be truthful in their earnings releases to investors and have sufficient internal accounting controls in place to prevent misleading statements,” Mary Jo. White, chairman of the SEC said on Tuesday.

Monsanto hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing, nor has the company denied it, reports the Times. But it has agreed to bring on a consultant to review its finances related to the company’s agricultural sector.

Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant has reportedly also reimbursed the company for more than $3 million in bonuses and stocks that were received between 2009 and 2011. “The company is pleased to put this matter behind it,” Monsanto said in a statement.

One of the largest corporate settlements in SEC history, the case doesn’t help Monsanto’s public image, one it’s aggressively trying to salvage with sustainability promises and claims that its genetically modified seeds can help to alleviate world hunger.

Monsanto has become a pariah among conscious consumers as well as food, environment, and health advocacy groups. Its genetically modified crops and the use of Roundup, have been linked to an increase in “superweeds” resistant to the glyphosate-based herbicide. And last year, the World Health Organization found glyphosate to be a “probable” carcinogen. Still, the chemical is widely used. It is now the most heavily applied herbicide in human history.

]]>Agent Orange Herbicide 2,4-D Linked to Cancer Risk in Humans, Says World Health Organizationhttp://www.organicauthority.com/agent-orange-herbicide-24-d-linked-to-cancer-risk-in-humans-says-world-health-organization/
Wed, 24 Jun 2015 07:00:07 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/?p=36643Once best known as half of the formula for the Vietnam War defoliant known as Agent Orange, 2,4-D is now widely used as an agricultural herbicide—and it may cause cancer in humans, says the World Health Organization. According to WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), recent studies on the weed killer 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid led the […]

Once best known as half of the formula for the Vietnam War defoliant known as Agent Orange, 2,4-D is now widely used as an agricultural herbicide—and it may cause cancer in humans, says the World Health Organization.

According to WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), recent studies on the weed killer 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid led the organization to list it as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”, which is a step below the more definitive “probably carcinogenic” category, but two steps above the “probably not carcinogenic” category, reports Reuters.

The announcement comes just months after the IARC classified glyphosate—the top selling herbicide better known as Monsanto’s Roundup—as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

But that doesn’t mean 2,4-D is safer than glyphosate. According to Reuters, IARC said it only decided on the “possibly” classification because there was “inadequate evidence in humans and limited evidence in experimental animals” of ties between 2,4-D and cancer. IARC pointed to epidemiological studies that held “strong evidence that 2,4-D induces oxidative stress… and moderate evidence that 2,4-D causes immunosuppression,” noted Reuters.

However, IARC said, “epidemiological studies did not find strong or consistent increases in risk of NHL (non-Hodgkin lymphoma) or other cancers in relation to 2,4-D exposure.”

2,4-D is of particular concern, as it is now being employed in combination with or as a replacement for glyphosate in areas where some weeds have developed resistance to glyphosate.

Dow AgroSciences is using a combination of 2,4-D and glyphosate in an herbicide called Enlist Duo, approved by the EPA for use in the U.S. last year. It’s intended for use on seeds genetically modified to withstand heavy applications of the dual herbicides in efforts to kill glyphosate-resistant weeds. But environmental and human health advocacy groups say it’s just a matter of time before crops also develop resistance to 2,4-D (and other herbicides). The answer, they say, isn’t in heavier applications of the herbicides or using more chemicals.

“We have known for decades that 2,4-D is harmful to the environment and human health, especially for the farmers and farm workers applying these chemicals to crops,” Mary Ellen Kustin, senior policy analyst for the Environmental Working Group said in statement. “Now that farmers are planting 2,4-D-tolerant GMO crops, this herbicide is slated to explode in use much the way glyphosate did with the first generation of GMO crops. And we know from experience – and basic biology – that weeds will soon grow resistant to these herbicides, making GMO crop growers only more dependent on the next chemical fix.”

“The EPA’s decision means that millions of Americans will be exposed to herbicides with known human health hazards in coming years,” Gary Hirshberg, chairman of the Just Label It campaign and chairman and co-founder of Stonyfield Farm said in a statement. “Unless GMO products are labeled, consumers have no way to know if ingredients in the food they buy were grown in a way that promoted use of these herbicides.”

“Because of the approval of Enlist Duo for use on GMO crops, we expect the use of 2,4-D to increase up to seven-fold by the end of the decade,” said Kustin. “Since the federal government has failed to curb the overreliance of glyphosate and 2,4-D, mandatory GMO labeling is essential so that consumers can know whether they are buying GMO foods that rely heavily on these toxic herbicides.”

Dow and other chemical companies that produce herbicides maintain that weedkillers, including 2,4-D, are safe and effective chemical tools for use in agriculture.

]]>Protect Your Organic Garden: 5 Ways To Get Rid Of Weeds, Naturallyhttp://www.organicauthority.com/organic-gardening/organic-garden-get-rid-of-weeds.html
Wed, 18 Jul 2012 09:35:26 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/s3-kitchen-garden/c6-organic-gardening/organic-garden-get-rid-of-weeds/They choke out your garden. They reappear again and again in between the cracks in your sidewalks and driveway. They take over your flower beds. Those aggravating weeds just won’t stop! Even if you pull them up by their roots, more will just take their place. Like a never-ending weed army. What’s an organic gardener […]

They choke out your garden. They reappear again and again in between the cracks in your sidewalks and driveway. They take over your flower beds. Those aggravating weeds just won’t stop! Even if you pull them up by their roots, more will just take their place. Like a never-ending weed army. What’s an organic gardener to do?

Instead of dousing them in chemical weed killers, get rid of weeds naturally. These five methods will keep those wild weeds restrained without harming the environment.

1. Mulch

Layering mulch on your garden soil will stifle those annoying weeds from growing. Watch out, though. Mulch will only slow the weeds down, not prevent them. You’ll still see some peek through the layers.

Packing an organic mulch around your plants will also give your garden something to munch on. As it breaks down, mulch will provide your plants with the nutrients they need to flourish. It will also help lock in moisture, to help your thirsty plants retain water.

2. White vinegar

This kitchen staple does everything else. It cleans counters, kills odors, makes a delicious homemade salad dressing…why not kill weeds too? Spritz white vinegar on unwanted weeds to get rid of them. It won’t work as quickly as chemical weed killers, but it won’t mess with the environment either. When you spray the weeds, make sure the vinegar gets down in the roots, not just on the plant. Just avoid spraying your garden plants, as it will kill them too.

3. Boiling water

Fill up that kettle. Plain old H20 is an effective weed killer. Pouring boiling water on weeds will essentially burn them, as morbid as it sounds. You may only want to use this method to get rid of weeds on your sidewalks and driveways, though. Boiling water won’t distinguish between a “good” and “bad” plant in your garden.

4. Salt water

Salt water works as an effective weed killer. It will dehydrate the weeds by releasing their nutrients into the soil and preventing them from absorbing water. Unfortunately, salt water may also damage the soil surrounding the weeds and any other plants’ underground roots nearby.

A pinch of salt diluted in a lot of water may not do too much damage, but it may not be worth risking your carefully-cultivated organic veggies, herbs and flowers. Instead, use this method on weeds growing in driveways and sidewalks and on any surrounding plant life that you don’t want coming back any time soon.

5. Corn meal

Prevent weeds from sprouting in the first place using corn meal. Corn gluten acts as a pre-emergent, meaning it kills seedlings before they appear above ground. You can sprinkle corn meal over a garden or flowerbed to prevent more weeds from growing.

It won’t kill already growing plants, but keep in mind it won’t kill already growing weeds either. Sprinkling corn meal in soil that you plan on planting transplants or more fully mature plants is also a good plan to save your back from constant weed pulling. Plus, when corn meal breaks down it will provide your plants with much needed nitrogen, an often lacking soil nutrient.

Add the serious degenerative neurological condition Parkinson’s disease to the list of Monsanto-related illnesses, says a new study published in the journal Neurotoxicology & Teratology.

Researchers at the Department of Neurology & Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine conducted the study, titled “Glyphosate induced cell death through apoptotic and authophagic mechanisms,” last year. Among the study’s findings was a strong correlation between Monsanto’s glyphosate-based pesticide (marketed as Roundup) and neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s.

Glyphosate, a neurotoxin, appeared to inhibit viability of different PC12 test cells in various conditions, and induced cell death, bringing clarity to long-standing suspicions that glyphosate exposure was connected with cases of Parkinson’s, according to study authors. The researchers state that herbicides including glyphosate have been recognized “as the main environmental factor associated with human neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.” Parkinson’s effects the central nervous system and is connected with the death of dopamine-generating cells in the brain leaving its victims with impaired motor skills, shaking, paralysis, cognitive disorders and dementia.

Monsanto’s Roundup is the best-selling pesticide in the world and is the companion chemical application to many of Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds including corn, soy, canola and cotton. It has been connected to a number of human health issues including neurological disorders, birth defects, organ damage and cancer. Seeds are engineered to tolerate heavy doses of the pesticide application used to thwart weeds and insects, making the seeds and crops pesticides themselves. Genetically modified ingredients are found in more than 80 percent of processed food in the U.S.

]]>Careful, Kermit: Monsanto's Roundup Creating Mutant Frogshttp://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/careful-kermit-monsantos-roundup-creating-mutant-frogs/
Thu, 05 Apr 2012 07:00:35 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=10891Recent research conducted by the University of Pittsburgh suggests that glyphosate—the most commonly used pesticide in the world—is causing “morphological changes” to some exposed animals, namely tadpoles. Marketed by Monsanto as Roundup, the popular weed killer and companion to genetically modified crops may be interfering with the hormones of tadpoles, says the research team, even […]

Recent research conducted by the University of Pittsburgh suggests that glyphosate—the most commonly used pesticide in the world—is causing “morphological changes” to some exposed animals, namely tadpoles.

Marketed by Monsanto as Roundup, the popular weed killer and companion to genetically modified crops may be interfering with the hormones of tadpoles, says the research team, even despite the fact that weed-killing herbicides like glyphosate are inherently intended to not adversely affect animals, only plants.

Tadpoles can naturally grow larger tails to help them escape predators sensed in their immediate environment, and similar body shape changes were noted after exposure to both environmentally relevant and sub-lethal doses of glyphosate. According to lead researcher Professor Rick Relyea, “This discovery highlights the fact that pesticides, which are important for crop production and human health, can have unintended consequences for species that are not the pesticide’s target.” Involuntary changes to the tadpole’s hormonal system, as observed in the study as a result of glyphosate exposure, could create a major survival disadvantage for the animals. According to the study, “Roundup completely eliminated two species of tadpoles and nearly exterminated a third species, resulting in a 70% decline in the species richness of tadpoles.”

Frogs and tadpoles are considered indicator species because they’re especially sensitive to changes in their immediate environment, often before other life forms begin to show signs of stress. And, says Relyea, “Roundup is not only lethal to tadpoles. A new study has discovered that Roundup can be highly lethal to terrestrial frogs and toads as well,” creating more concern about the use of the controversial herbicide.

According to the most current data from the EPA, in 2007 180 to 185 million pounds of glyphosate were used for agricultural purposes, and home and garden use was between 5 to 8 million pounds.